Dollar mixed after US unemployment rate drops

The Associated Press

The dollar is mixed after a report showing the U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 8.9 percent last month, the lowest since April 2009 - a good sign for the economy. The U.S. currency is falling against the euro but rising against the yen and the pound.

The government says the economy added a net 192,000 jobs last month, with 222,000 in job gains from private employers. The unemployment rate has fallen sharply since it was 9.8 percent in November.

In morning trading in New York, the euro is up to $1.3975 from $1.3959 late Thursday. The euro hit a four-month high of $1.4001 immediately after the report came out, but then faded.

The dollar rose to 82.77 Japanese yen from 82.37 yen. The British pound slipped to $1.6249 from $1.6273.